Law school student makes the case for Treyger’s re-election

By Paula Katinas

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Councilmember Mark Treyger, running for his second term in office, has picked up powerful endorsements from 100 civic, business and religious leaders in his Coney Island-Gravesend district, including one from a gifted law school student who has known the lawmaker for years and is eager to make the case for his re-election.

Priscilla Consolo, a Gravesend resident in her second year at New York University Law School, has worked with Treyger, a Democrat, on a number of civic improvement projects over the years and said the councilmember deserves a second term.

"I have known Councilman Mark Treyger since before he was elected to office. He has been involved in community activism, grass-roots organizing and public service for nearly 15 years,” Consolo told the Brooklyn Eagle via email.

Consolo got to know Treyger when they both worked for Assemblymember Bill Colton (D-Gravesend-parts of Bensonhurst). “Even back then, he had a keen aptitude for addressing issues in our community. His ideas were often creative, yet practical, and he frequently offered many effective solutions to pressing problems and concerns,” Consolo wrote.

Treyger, Colton and Consolo worked together organizing ceremonies to recognize military veterans, fighting against the Southwest Brooklyn Marine Waste Transfer Station, opposing charter school co-location plans, creating a coalition to restore the B64 bus line to Coney Island and recruiting teenagers to volunteer for neighborhood cleanup events.

“Mark understood that in order to get things done, we needed to work together; a key value which, in our world today, seems more important than ever before,” Consolo wrote.

Since his election in 2013, Treyger has been busy securing additional funding for increased sanitation services along commercial corridors, advocating for the restoration of Saturday service on the X28 express bus, calling for the Coney Island Boardwalk to be landmarked, organizing graffiti cleanups, securing funding for the installation of air conditioners in school buildings and working to create a culinary arts center at John Dewey High School, according to Consolo.

Treyger is running for his second term representing the 47th Council District, a seat that includes parts of Coney Island, Gravesend and Bensonhurst.

The list of his supporters includes religious groups, tenants’ rights organizations and Holocaust survivors.

“I am proud to stand with Councilmember Treyger,” said Shirley Aikens, president of the Carey Gardens Tenants Association in Coney Island. “He has done such great work for this community and it really shows in what he’s been able to accomplish. He doesn’t back down when it comes to making sure our community gets everything we need and deserve.”

Community activist Joe Rizzi said he is excited to see what Treyger can accomplish in his next term.

“There’s no one better to lead our community and I am confident he will continue to help our residents thrive. From bringing free Wi-Fi to our parks to expanding transportation with the B64 bus route to securing air conditioning for our school buildings, Councilmember Treyger produces results,” Rizzi said.

“I am so humbled by this show of support. These individuals do so much for our communities and city. As I run for re-election I am excited to know I have the backing of these leaders and their organizations,” Treyger said in a statement.

Treyger also holds the city’s feet to the fire when it comes to Superstorm Sandy rebuilding efforts, according to Consolo. Treyger is the chairman of the council’s Committee on Recovery and Resiliency.

“Mark has always considered government to be a tool to service and help others. He is a man of integrity, compassion, kindness and patience,” Consolo wrote.

Consolo, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fordham University, made news last year when she was accepted into several prestigious law schools and had her pick of which one of the top schools she would attend.

She received acceptance letters from Georgetown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Emory University, Boston University, Boston College, George Washington University, Notre Dame University and Vanderbilt University before deciding on NYU.